Metal container



Feb. 16, 1937. v c. SCHMIDT METAL CONTAINER Filed June 22, 1935 J0 llllllllllllllllllllllHIll lll IlllllllllllHlllllllllllllllllllll Patented Feb. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES METAL CONTAINER Charles Schmidt, Passaic, N. J., assignor to Contlnental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 22, 1935, Serial No. 27,971

2 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in metal containers of the type shown in the Gueritey Patent No. 1,443,682 granted January 30, 1923.

An object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of locking means for holding the cover on the container body wherein the cover may be quickly attached to the container body by a very slight turning movement thereon and positively held in locked engagement with the container body.

A further object of the invention, is to provide a locking means between the cover flange and the container body which is so constructed that there is no liability of a jam between the cooperating locking parts when a direct downward pressure is applied to the cover, regardless of the position of said lugs at the time when the pressure is applied.

In the drawing, which shows by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a View showing a container and a cover therefor embodying the invention, and with the parts separated.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the container on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the cover on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a view showing the cover applied to the container.

Figure 5 is a detail of a portion of the container body as viewed from the outside, and showing in dotted lines the position of the holding lug and locking detent when the cover is applied.

The container embodying the invention includes a body portion with an open top, the metal at the top of the body portion being rolled inwardly to form a solid strengthening bead. Said body portion is also curved outwardly a short distance beneath the upper edge to form a strengthening bead. Between the strengthening beads said body is bent or shaped outwardly to provide holding lugs which are widely spaced from each other. There are preferably six holding lugs for securing the cover to the container body. Each holding lug has its upper face substantially parallel with the beaded edge and its lower face inclined downwardly and terminating in a vertically arranged stop shoulder. Said lug, directly above said inclined lower face, has two spaced depressions or recesses. The cover for closing the container has a depending flange which is curled at its lower edge into a solid strengthening bead. The cover flange is preferably shaped so as to provide a knurled portion in the region wherein the flange joins the cover top, and this knurled portion is of the same diameter as the depending flange. Said depending flange has a locking lug parallel with the beaded lower edge and adjacent said beaded lower edge which is adapted to pass beneath the inclined face of the holding lug on the container body for securing the cover to the container body. Directly above this locking lug on the cover is an inwardly extending detent which slips over the holding lug on the body and springs into first one recess and then the other. This detent serves as a holding means for locking the co-veron the container body.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the invention as illustrated is embodied in a container made of metal which includes a body portion l curled inwardly at the open end thereof to provide a closed strengthening bead indicated at 2. At a short distance beneath said beaded edge the body is curled outwardly to form a strengthening bead as indicated at 3. Between the beads 2 and 3 at spaced intervals are looking lugs. These locking lugs are all similar in construction and the description of one will answer for the others. There are preferably six of the locking lugs in the body portion. These locking lugs are formed by bending or shaping the body portion outwardly. These locking lugs are indicated at 4 in the drawing. Each lug is shaped so as to provide an upper edge portion 5 which is substantially parallel with the upper beaded edge of the container body. The lower edge portion 6 of the locking lug is inclined downwardly from right to left as viewed from the outside of the container. This inclined face 6 terminates in a vertically disposed stop shoulder 1. This stop shoulder 1 terminates at the upper edge of the bead 3. This bead 3 will prevent the body portion in the region of this stop shoulder I from springing to allow the lug on the cover to slip by the same. The locking lug 4 is also bent inwardly toprovide a depression or recess 8 and also a depression or recess 9.

The cover which is indicated at E0 in the drawing has a depending flange I I which is curled outwardly to form a solid bead or curl l2 which strengthens the lower edge of the cover. This curl is made very small but is sufiicient to strengthen the edge of the flange and prevent it from springing. Directly above this beaded lower edge of the cover flange is a series of holding lugs l3. These lugs are spaced the same distance as the locking lugs 4 on the container body and, therefore, there are six of these lugs 13. Each lug I3 is parallel with the beaded edge of the cover and while it is directly above said beaded edge, it is in effect merged into the beaded edge so that said lug will not spring except as the beaded edge springs. The lug I3 is relatively short and is dimensioned so that it Will pass through the space between holding lugs on the container body, and when the container is turned it will pass underneath the inclined face 6, contacting therewith so as to draw the cover down into tight sealed contact with the container body. While the bead 2 on the container body is a closed bead, it is considerably larger than the bead on the cover flange, for the purpose of providing an increased sealing contact with the cover. The cover has a depressed central portion, thus providing a U-shaped channel H which contacts with the upper curved face of the bead 2 when the cover is drawn down into tight sealing contact with the container body by means of the lugs l3 contacting with the inclined faces 6. This inclined face 6 is so dimensioned that the lug l3 comes into contact with the vertical stop shoulder 'I when the cover is in tight sealing contact with the container body, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. The cover is shown as dimensioned so as to make sealing contact with the bead of the container body.

Directly above the holding lug l3, the cover flange is bent inwardly to form a detent l5. As the lug 13 passes along the inclined face 6, this detent 15 will pass up onto the lug 4 and into the recess 8, and then over the lug and into the recess 9, contacting with the right-hand edge thereof when the lug I3 is in its fully seated position and the cover in tight sealing contact with the body of the container. The detent l5 will prevent any accidental turning of the cover on the container body. However, when force is applied to the cover for turning the same in a counterclockwise direction, it will spring from the recess 9 into the recess 8 and thence off the lug, and permit the cover to be removed.

Inasmuch as the cooperating holding lugs are widely spaced, the lugs 13, in a casual placing of the cover on the container body, will probably be directly over a space between the holding lugs and a downward pressure on the cover will bring the cover into sealing contact with the container body. A turning of the cover will bring the lugs into cooperative action for securing the cover to the containerbody. If, however, the lug l3 when placed on the container body is directly above the lug 6, it will contact with the face 5 which is parallel with the beaded edge of the container body. The operator, however, by a slight turning movement can move the lugs on the cover out of contact with the lugs on the container body to permit the full seating of the cover. By inclining the lower face of the holding lug on the container body from right to left, as viewed in the drawing, the cover is turned in a clockwise direction for securing it to the container body and is released by a turning movement in a counterclockwise direction.

From th above it will be apparent that a very simple form of locking means is provided wherein there is no liabilitiy of a jam occurring between the cooperating locking lugs in case of the downward pressure on the cover at any time. Furthermore, the cover can be secured to the container body by a very slight turning movement and will be firmly locked in sealed engagement with the container body. While the cover is firmly secured to the container body, it will, however, yield under pressure so that it may be quickly and readily removed.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the shaping of the lugs and the positioning of the same without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A metal container comprising a body portion having the upper edge thereof rolled inwardly to form a strengthening bead and a sealing shoulder, said body portion at widely spaced intervals below and adjacent said bead being outwardly shaped to form a series of retaining lugs, each having the lower face thereof inclined downwardly and terminating in a vertical stop rectly above each holding lug thereon having an inwardly projecting detent adapted to pass over a holding lug on the container body into said recesses for yieldingly holding the cover lugs in locked engagement with the lugs on the container body.

2. A metal container comprising a body portion having the upper edge thereof rolled inwardly to form a strengthening bead and a sealing shoulder, said body portion at widely spaced intervals below and adjacent said bead being outwardly shaped to form a series of retaining lugs, each having the lower face thereof inclined downwardly and terminating in a vertical stop shoulder, a cover having a depending flange, the

lower edge of which is rolled outwardly to form a strengthening bead, the flange of said cover having a series of relatively short widely spaced lugs located immediately above said head, each lug being adapted to engage beneath the inclined face of a holding lug on the container body, said cover having a series of inwardly projecting detents located in the cover flange at a distance from said bead, and said container body having means with which said detents make yielding engagement for yieldingly holding the cover lugs in locked engagement with the lugs on the container body.

CHARLES SCHMIDT. 

